About

$6,000

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Hail, and well met! I'm Jim Rodda, better known to the assorted scallywags, rapscallions, and ne'er-do-wells of the hobbyist 3D printing community as Zheng3.

My minor maker claim to fame is Seej, the Open Source tabletop war game based around 3D printing, but with this Kickstarter I'm trying something a little different.

I'm making Barbie-compatible 3D printed medieval armor.

It's important to note that I'm not now and never have been associated with Mattel, undisputed masters of Barbie and all her associated trademarks. I'm just some dude cranking out 3d models in his basement.

Barbie has had many occupations over her long and storied career. Astronaut, veterinarian, pinup, and princess more times than I can count. She has not, to my knowledge, cosplayed as Brienne of Tarth until now.

The field plate armor depicted in the photos and video above is a nice-enough prototype, good enough for patrolling the battlements at Stonemist Castle. But wearing it to a meeting of the Kingsguard? To the Council of Elrond? To prom? Honestly.

A fully funded Kickstarter will enable me to design and produce the next iteration of the prototype armor, a favolosa e bellissima ensemble that befits a lady of Barbie's high station.

Permit me to be crystal clear about two things:

1. My goal is primarily to distribute digital files for this armor; I'm happy to print rewards for backers but would prefer not to run a factory in the long term.

2. GIF is pronounced with a hard G, no matter what Steve Wilhite says.

The funding will cover the biodegradable plastic used to print the armor, replacement printer parts, and, most importantly, the time needed to design a highly detailed suit of armor, with all the engraving, ensorcelling, and enamelling Barbie's parade panoply deserves.

And test prints. Zounds, will there be test prints.

The armor will be distributed under a Creative Commons License. In a nutshell, you'll be able to modify, redistribute, and even sell the digital files and their derivatives as long as you credit the original designer. That's me.

Also note that I'm not selling Barbie dolls; if you want to use this armor you'll have to buy a Barbie Fashionistas Doll first.

If you've already got a 3D printer and know a doll that needs arming, head on over to The Forge and download a copy of the Athena Makeover Kit:

The spear and aegis should fit most dolls, although the winged boots are designed specifically for Barbie's feet.

While you're poking around The Forge, feel free to download a 3D squirrel or two. Be careful, some of them are armed.

Design and Protoyping

The inspiration for this armor came, indirectly, from my four-year-old niece. I wanted to print something unique for her next birthday, and so decided to design and engineer a pair of My Little Pony-compatible glitter cannons. (Note to self: next Kickstarter should involve My Little Pony-compatible glitter cannons.)

But! Moving parts and springs can be tough to do at this level of 3D printing, and after a few test prints I became frustrated and fell back on my usual method for generating new ideas: drinking three lattes and taking a hot shower.

Midway through my fourth latte, the idea to create 3D printed armor for Barbie sprang from my head, fully formed. Highly caffeinated and towel-clad I dashed over to the laptop and ordered a Fashionistas doll.

The design process is straightforward: photograph the doll from multiple angles and then use the photos as reference images in Maya, my 3D modelling package of choice.

The next step is printing a low-resolution test piece to see if it's a good fit on the doll. I'm doing all my prints on a Makerbot Replicator1, which has proven itself to be a reliable, if no longer bleeding-edge 3D printer.

(How about we all just let that last sentence sink in for a minute and realize we live in The Future?)

Finally, after many iterations and tweaks, print the piece at high resolution and call it good. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Barbie takes her fashion seriously, so it's important to get the fit just right. Here's our favorite model amid a pile of not-quite-snug-enough or just-a-bit-too-loose prototypes. Note the boot model in the lower left.

Funding Goal Reached, Stretch Goal Announced!

UPDATE! 3/28/14

A huge thank you to all of Faire Play's backers! We've reached our initial funding goal with two weeks to go. I've been inspired by your generosity, and so I've created the Faire Play Recurve Bow as a digital token of gratitude for you all.

Backers at the $65 level will also receive the digital files for both suits of armor *and* the digital files for the Athena makeover kit.

UPDATE: A metal proof of the pendant has arrived from Shapeways! Here's what it looks like in polished grey steel.

Production and Fulfillment Plan

Step 1: Model the parade armor and print prototypes. April/May 2014

I expect this process to take approximately two months. I'll embellish the 3D model I've already created, adding every rivet, flourish, and bevel required to create a truly elegant suit of parade armor. I'll be test-printing prototypes and publicly documenting the process at Zheng3.com.

Those backers awake at around 5AM CST will be able to watch me work in quasi-realtime by gazing into the Scrying Pool at Zheng3.com.

Step 2: Print Athena Makeover Kit awards. April through August 2014

My 3D printer will dutifully churn out Makeover kits while I'm busy detailing the parade armor. At a rate of two kits a day I should have plenty printed by the time I need to deliver them to my backers. Then it's just a matter of boxing them up and shipping them out.

Step 3: Print parade armor for backers. June/July 2014

My experiments have shown that I can print roughly one suit of field plate in a day, though I expect the detail on the parade suits to require a little more time. I've intentionally limited the number of reward suits I'm shipping to a total of thirty, so we're looking at somewhere around a month and a half to get them all printed.

Step 4: Design custom shields for top-tier backers. July 2014

I'll be doing this step concurrent with Steps 2 and 3; while the printer is burbling away I'll be locked in my office with Illustrator, Photoshop, Maya, Science Friday podcasts, and three pounds of chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Step 5: Deliver the goods, digital and physical. July and August 2014

Digital rewards will be shipped first: a .ZIP file of the armor should still be small enough to fit in an email attachment.

I'm anticipating a few days of parcel stuffing and label-affixing before the physical rewards can ship. I'll be investigating shipping options throughout the production period.

Risks and challenges

I'm quite confident in the printability of the field plate armor; I've printed every piece at least a dozen times already.

The parade armor has filigrees, engravings, gewgaws, gubbinses, and assorted skeuomorphisms that will need to be designed so they can be printed with a minimum of fuss, but shouldn't affect the stability of the print.

House of Cards isn't releasing Season 3 until well after the Kickstarter is scheduled to finish, so that's eliminated as a potential source of delay.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 5 or more
About $5

I'll send you the digital files for the field plate armor depicted in the Kickstarter video. You can print the armor yourself, send it out to a 3D printing service, or find a local hackerspace and have them help you out.

You're free to modify and even resell the files and the 3D printed product. Creative Commons Licensing, baby!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 10 or more
About $10

This backing level gets you the digital files for the fancy parade armor. The same Creative Commons licensing rules apply; print as many copies of the armor as you like, set up a booth at your local renaissance faire, and recoup your backing twenty times over with your first sale.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 25 or more
About $25

Backers at this level will receive three, count 'em, THREE sets of digital files: the field plate, the parade armor, *and* the Athena Makeover Kit. Creative Commons licensing applies-- these files are yours to do with what you please once they show up in your inbox.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

Backers at the $35 level will receive a printed Athena Makeover Kit: a 3D printed aegis, spear, and winged boots compatible with the Barbie Fashionistas line. You'll have to make your own garment to match the photo, but that's easy enough with an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors. If you like, you'll also receive the digital files for the Makeover Kit, the field plate, and the parade armor.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

You will receive a 3D printed suit of milady's field plate armor and the digital files necessary to print your own. These suits will ship earlier than the parade armor because I'll start printing immediately after the Kickstarter is funded.
Collectors take note: I'll subtly watermark each suit I print for backers with a limited edition print number.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

While the printer is producing the field plate for the previous backing level, I'll be busily modeling the parade armor's decorative flourishes and blogging about the process like a meth-addled weasel at Zheng3.com.

In addition to the passel of digital files mentioned above, these backers will receive a 3D printed suit of limited edition parade armor. The armor will be printed in biodegradable plastic and can be primed and painted as you see fit.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

Send me a 2D design to which you own the rights and I'll integrate it into the model as custom heraldry on her shield. I'll also print a full suit of limited edition parade armor and send it your way. You'll also receive every digital file mentioned above. These will be one-of-a-kind prints, specific to you.